In one of my last posts I talked about my love of films.
Another classic, although not in black and white, is ‘The Sting’. It is a story about a group of con men who come together to run a ‘long con’ over a few weeks against a ‘mark’ or target. Within this film each segment is introduced by a card with legends like;
The Hook – where the mark is given a reason to want to get even with the lead con man who is masquerading as a bookmaker.
The Tale – where the mark is given information from a second con man, known as the inside man, on how he can bring down the lead con man.
The Setup – a derelict room is turned into a make believe functioning Bookmakers where the mark is taken and made to believe he is in the real thing.
The Sting – where the mark is conned out of placing a massive bet on a horse which loses.
It is a brief summary of an incredible film that has lots of other plot twists and turns. It is also helped by the fact that Paul Newman and Robert Redford are outstanding in the lead roles with assistance from Robert Shaw.
I now firmly believe that we are watching the footballing equivalent of ‘The Sting’ unfold before our very eyes. The Scottish footballing public are the collective mark. The Tale is that, without Rangers, the entire edifice of Scottish football will collapse.
The Setup is where the rules, seemingly for all, are changed ad hoc or just simply ignored.
The Sting where we are all led down the garden path into a new club forming and allowed straight into the top flight of Scottish football. The two contracts investigation is stalled until the new club is safely in the SPL then allowed to run its course against a company that no longer exists and against who no sanctions can be applied.
I’ve suspected for some time that Duff and Phelps were the inside men but we are truly spoilt for choice with regards to who is the ‘lead con’. Is it David Murray, Craig Whyte, Neil Doncaster or Stewart Regan?
The last two gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, instead of governing our national sport have allowed their individual organisations to be stalled first by Craig Whyte and secondly Duff and Phelps. How the SPL can ask for documentation from a member club regarding registrations and still be waiting six weeks later is at least an embarrassment, perhaps negligence or at the worse end of the spectrum a connivance in a process to allow the said club to finish the league without being thrown out for corruption and thus facilitating the new club to be formed.
To me it is inconceivable that the SPL and the SFA, who lets not forget operate out of the same building, have never had an informal discussion at the water tank or café.
When the curtain is drawn aside by a TV documentary which shows the very evidence that SPL has been waiting six weeks to receive and no comment is made the following day then questions should be asked.
Now obviously these questions will not be asked from any of our MSM who all seem to have gone on holiday to Mars at the same time. Neither will they be asked by the politicians who were so quick to jump on the ‘Rangers must be saved’ bandwagon.
All you really need to have is a healthy cynicism or an enquiring mind to see what the plan has been all along. Duff and Phelps were brought in knowing that this club was finished. This would have become clear after only a few days when they would have found out that everything from catering to merchandising had already been sold off for years to come.
To get the club through to the end of the season they had an immediate choice. Cancel season tickets and force the loyal fans to pay again to watch the remaining home games or publicly blackmail the players into taking huge pay cuts. The pay cuts were a no brainer because the players are not going to be there next season anyway and why would you want to alienate the loyal fans who are going to be your main source of income for the next three years.
When this decision was made and the players forced to take a public hosing then the first part of the plan was in place and they could make it through to the end of the season financially. They did not count on the two contracts issue and having to stall the SPL on their investigation.
Luckily Neil Doncaster is in charge! Listening to him talk you wonder if this man knows if it is New York or New Year. I mean how much does he really have to do in his job?
He still seems incapable of going to SKY/ESPN and asking them how much they will pay to show a league without Rangers.
If he cannot do this instead of spreading scare stories then he should resign.
He is also incapable of putting time limits to anything regarding the ongoing investigation. As soon as the allegations were made a letter should have went to Rangers, and a public statement made, laying out a timeframe for documentation to be received, another independent board convened, and a hearing date set. Then, if Rangers failed to meet this deadline, then more serious charges of obstruction and bringing the game into disrepute should have been threatened.
This should all have been done in a month but because this did not suit his obvious agenda then the investigation was allowed to drift like the Marie Celeste.
Meanwhile across the Hampden corridor Stewart Reagan, who is actually responsible for the governance of our sport, sits and fiddles while Rome burns. What exactly he is fiddling with is anybody’s guess. The SPL is a money making organisation but the SFA is the moral arbitrator of our sport. For him to sit there and do nothing as this issue escalates into a crisis that threatens even the national team is inconceivable.
For there to be no public announcements regarding the SFA’s own rules of player registration let alone a licence to play football is actually quite scary.
The Sting is well and truly on, but I tell you now, there are large swathes of the Scottish footballing public who will not be conned.
For fans of any other club who manage to read this and who have not renewed season tickets, like me, under protest at what is being proposed. Hold firm. If we all focus on the thing that unites us, shout it with one voice, and enough of us do it, then we will win and make a long term difference for the ultimate good of our game.
It is our game and we want our ball back.
I heard a story today, from someone who works for sky, that when the new contract was first presented there was no mention of the obligation to show four old firm league games a season. At this time Rangers were already in administration. During negotiations Neil Doncaster insisted this clause was added to the contract, not sky! I have no proof of this, but if true then his position really is untenable.
Excellent stuff Justshattered.
Like yourself I have still not renewed my season ticket which has been with me for many years.
Reason being,like yourself, I await the outcome, but would wish our Boardroom would make us aware, sooner rather than later, of their intent in respect of the failed business in the South West of the this city.
Do not know if they are holding back for a final push, hope this might be the case.
My main concern is in respect of the statement from Blair yesterday, that a licence would not be required to retain participation in the SPL. This despite the fact that the same individual in August of last year, issued a directive to all clubs that a licence was essential.
It is now time for EUFA and FIFA to step up and enforce their regulations.
Reason being, that the admin mob, still being given all the backing from the Shocking Scottish Media, would appear to have an agenda.
Their agenda is this:
IF WE GO, WE WILL TAKE THE REST OF YOU WITH US:
Time for the major players in football to act.
We now have the spectacle of a club going outside the sporting area to appeal a decision that they don’t like. This is in direct contradiction to the laws of the game. Are they taken to task; NO.
The same club have been granted a ‘period of grace’ to submit financial documents. Would this period of grace be granted to any other team; NO.
At this rate instead of having all the anticipation of the openning of a new season we should all just march down Edmiston Drive and present Rangers with the league flag.
Inspired by your last sentence, the whole thing stinks of “It’s no ma baw big man”. Nobody wants to step up and be the bad guy, so they’re all waiting to see if the big tax case will sink them first. Hence the delayed Newco vote, hence the lack of clarity from the SFA and SPL.
Dry yer eyes. lmao
I think we are in for a huge, huge shock. I think Celtic will vote to allow them back into the league with no penalties. I will never return if this is the case, at least until the present board leaves. Celtic will be just as bad as them and this will break my heart. Scottish football will sink as well and will be a shadow of what it even is now within a decade. There will be no point to it.
Hi fellow Celts,
Normally in a topic it will express opposing views.
This topic by justshatered I agree with and yes with all replies.
Scottish football has in my opinion been run by spivs who have favoured the darkside certainly throughout my life and anyone else who has replied positively on this article.
I shall windup as I have mentioned in total agreement with a great well written article.
No one needs to be a member of mensa to understand what is happening unless a person of low intelect and one of them
Thanks
I’ve hung back on commenting on this fast moving farce. In fact I went and watched some football at Lesser Hampden last Friday night. My local amateur team – well, one of them – lost a cup final. But, hey…they gave it a real good go. It was nice to go and watch a game that was pure.
I’m loving doing the Euro previews. It’s football, I love talking talking about football but over the last few months we have seem to become mired in other shit and that’s all we think about, talk about and question. We have got to the stage that we are even questioning the questions.
Have they won? Is this me at such a stage that they have worn me down so much that I don’t really care anymore what happens to them? Just get it over with and let’s continue as we have been saying for years that the game is biased towards them so what’s the BIG DEAL about it being confirmed?
Off course that’s not the view I should have. I’m fed up with Doncaster talking down to us. Telling us we are stupid. CVA/ NEWCLUB are the same you know…complete bollocks but that’s his mantra and his job profile is basically to make money for a self serving money making fat pig. He is not a legislator and really shouldn’t be making decisions on legislative measures.
His comments are off a man trying to preserve the commercial viability of his league. That’s his job. YES….he is pishing me off but I understand his stance and why he is lying to an ever grateful press.
The clubs will turn up tomorrow, accept that they will vote on a new club and make no decision on the sanctions as D&P wont turn up as they have some more money to fleece talking about unobtainable CVA’s and trying to work out why they have turned the dogs on themselves.
Aye, the SFA tonight are shaking their heads and feeling the hot stinking breath of FIFA on their necks. I find it surprising that the SFA defence today didn;t mention that the article in the rules that allows them to place any sanction or punishment that they deem fit. They have already stated that they thought expelling the club was to severe – one of the sanctions that the judge deemed they must pick – and today their defence was that they were actually lax on Rangers.
The SFA are no longer just dealing with one rouge club. They have got the fate of the whole of the Scottish game in their hands and FIFA have a bigger gun than Rangers….
So, in this uncertainty why have I renewed my season book (or not cancelled my DD yet). I’m stupid. I believe in the good of my club and the joy that brings. Jnr was at the last game of the season. I spent that night shouting Gary and she would reply Hooper. I can’t stop her hopefully enjoying the things I have enjoyed about Celtic just because I get all mardyarsed about football governance in this country being shown AGAIN to be riddled by fools……
Fuck Doncaster, Fuck the rest of the SPL, Fuck the SFA, Fuck the MSM, Fuck the CVA, Fuck the HMRC……they are all just blots on the big picture.
The picture that I love Celtic more than all this rubbish.